DWELLING DESTROYED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18065, 17 April 1933, Page 4

DWELLING DESTROYED

FIRE AT AWAPUNI While the occupants were attending the pictures -in town, a five-roomed dwelling at Awnpuni was destroyed by fire on Saturday night. The house, which was situated about a quarter if a mile beyond the abattoirs, in an isolated position, was owned by an estate administered bv tho Public Trust office, and was occupied by Mr and Mrs Groves and their two sons.

The family left the house at about ' o’clock on Saturday evening, and .at about 9 o’clock the building wm found to be ablaze, the flames spreadng so rapidlv that it was imnossib I '' to save anything before the house and oul buildings were destroyed.

The lire brigade received an alarm at 9.33 p.m., sounded from the box at the premises of the Vacuum Oil Company Proprietary, Limited, Peel street, and after going down to the company’s store, the engine proceeded along Awapuni road as far as the golf ‘luh-housc, where it could be seen that the fire was well beyond (the brigade’s territory. -As. the house was then reduced to ,a mass of ruins, and as there vas no water available to fight the flames, the brigade returned to town. Ait the outset some anxiety was felt for (lie safety -of Mr and Mrs Groves’ two small sons, it being believed that the ’ hoys were in the burning house, which was not tho case. The cause of the outbreak could not be determined definitely. Fires had been burning in the kitchen range and the washhouse boiler during the day, but these had both been extinguished before Mr and Mrs Groves left for town. The house was not served by gas or electric light. It could not be ascertained this morning whether the house was insured, but tho occupants furniture and effects were covered by a policy of £IOO in the Commercial Union office.